The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-11-17
THE MINISTER'S PIE.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
"Look here, Sally!"

AVN ASASt
Mrs. Deacon Farrell brushed the flour
from her hands, casting meanwhile a
complacent eye over the Well-filled
kitchen table, with its generous array of
unbaked pies and cakes, the plump
turkey stuffed and trussed ready for the
morrow's baking, and the big chicken
pie, to which her fingers had put the
finishing touches, as she repeated rather
more decidedly:
'Look here, Sally! There's enough
chicken left with the giblets-that l
never put in my own pie, because the
deacon don't relish 'em-ter make a
Thanksgiving pic for the minister's
folks. 'Twont need to be very large, "
she added, in reply to sally's doubtful
look. "Only the minister and his wife
and you can bake it in that smallest
yallar dish. Now I'm going up stairs
terlook over them rags, an you make it
an bake it right off SOS l can send it
over by the Deacon
''Yes'm," answered Sally, briskly;
and catching up the rolling-pin she
brought it down with an emphasis upon
lump of dough upon the moulding
board.
As the stairway door closed behind
her mistress, Sally dropped the rolling
pin, and look of perplcxity crcpt over
her dull face, making it ten times more
stolid than usual, while she repeated,
in ludicrous bewilderment:
"Giblets! What in all creation, if
anybody can tell me, does she mean by
| them?"
Involuntarily she took step forward,
but checked herself as quickly, while
cunning smile replaced the look of
perplexity, and she muttered triumph
antly:
Il guess I amt a-goin... ter g confess my
ignorance to the deacon's wife and LEI
her have her say, as she always does
Two terms ter the 'cadcmy, Sally, an'
not know thatr No, ma'am! not Will
there's dictionary in the housep
So, softly creeping into the adjoining
sitting room, she hastily opened big
dictionary on the deacon's writing desk,
and began her search for the mysterious
word
"G-i-b---here 'tis!' and she read
aloud to herself, with an air of triumph,
the following definition:
"Those parts of fowl which are re-
moved before cooking-heart, gizzard,
liver, ETC."
That's it!-heart, gizzard, liver and
SO FORTH" she repeated joyfully, as sht
retraced her steps TO the kitchen, and
began with alacr ty, to fill, according tt
directions, the minister's pie; keeping
up meanwhile, a running fire of com
ment for her own special benefit.
"Six gizzards! Well, that is rathe
steep, as Dan Weston would say. But
guess the deacon's wife knows; if sh'
don't, tain't none of my business. 81,
heartsl Them's small, and tuck into tn,
corners handy. Six livers! Seems te
me they don't fill up much" and sh'
glanced with perplexed air, at a pile o
denuded chicken bones that formed he
only resource.
''Now, l wonder" with q sudden in
spiration, "what that and so forth
meansa Here's hearts, gizzards ant
livers, plenty of 'em, but no and 81
forth, and the pie amt more than two
thirds full yet. 1t must mean," and sh
cast bewildered look at the half-fillet
pie, "the chickens legs. never knew
nobody ter put them in pie, but thai
must be what it means, and they'll jus
fill up.
No sooner thought than done. Il
went three pairs of stout yellow leg
upon which their unfortunate owner
had strutted so proudly only the day be
fore; on went the we'll rolled dough
covering them from sight, and into tn
oven went the minister's pie, just as th
mistress of the house re-entered he
kitchen, and with an approving glanc
at the snowy pastry, remarked, encoul
agingly:
THAT pie looks real neat, Sally.
shouldn't wonder if, in time, you cam
to be quite cook"
1t was Thanksgiving morning, an
Miss Patience Pringle stood at tn
minister's back door. To be sure it wa
rather early for callers, but Miss Pringl
was, as she often boasted, lone of th
kind that never stood on ceremony.
Indeed, she didn't consider it necessar
even to knock before she opened th
door, although she was thoughtfl
enough in opening it to do so softl!
The minister's wife was just taking frol
the oven a newly warmed chicken pi'
which she nearly dropped from hi
hand, so startled was she by the sharl
shrill voice that spoke SO close to her:
"Good mornin', Mrs. Graham. Hahn
been to breakfast yet, see. We ha
ours half an hour ago. know m
mother used to say that if anybody lo
an hour In the mornin,' they migl
chase it all day, and not catch up wit
, it then"
"That's good-lookin' pie--preti
rich pastry though, for chicken pie.
) don't never put much shortnin' in an,
|. thing of that kind. It's rich cnoup
inside to make up. But you're youni
an have got a good many things
. learn yet. Irun in to see if you cou
SPARE mo . eup of yeast: mine soure'